Chishi no Sakura
by SereneButterfly23
Summary: Sakura Haruno. Konoha didn't want her. She was a burden to her teammates and her teacher. So she did what she did best. She runs away to the Akatsuki in hopes of finding new friends, a new family, new love, and most of all, new strength to believe in herself and protect the people she loves.
1. The Beginning

**Chishi no Sakura**

**~SereneButterfly23~**

**Hello! Most of you are probably reading this because of Deadly Cherry Blossoms, huh? Well, you'll be glad to hear that I will be devoting much more time to this fic. Or as much as I can, considering my busy schedule and my ballet performance coming up.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is not for profit and for pleasure only.**

**XxXxX**

**-Chapter 1: The Beginning-**

"Have you heard?"

"He's returned."

"Dragged through the gates by his own team, right?"

"I heard he was captured by the ANBU."

"No one knows anything except for those involved with him directly."

The whispers taunted me as I walked through the marketplace, and I could feel the civilians' stares drilling holes in my back.

I knew exactly what they were so worked up about. And they knew exactly who _I_ was since my hair wasn't hard to miss, even after I tried darkening it for stealth.

I adjusted my headband slightly, tightening it and moving it forward so it wouldn't slip off. Leaning against the wall of a small tavern, I bent over to make sure all my hidden weapons were in place. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me, shielding me from the sunlight.

"Sai," I greeted while continuing my inventory. "Is there a reason you're watching me?" He wasn't surprised that I knew that he was there the whole time. Instead, I felt him shrug. I sighed in annoyance, finally standing straight to look him in the eye. Although he had learned the basics of emotion enough to seem normal, there were a couple he still couldn't understand, annoyance being one of them, the other affection. "If Shishou is waiting for me tell her that I shall arrive shortly." Sai continued gazing at me in his own unnerving way, answering my request with silence. Another sigh was drawn from me, this one of weariness. I walked away, knowing he would follow me.

"Be careful, Sakura." I turned, surprised at the insistence behind his words. My eyes, formerly hard from the thought of _him_, softened. I grabbed Sai into a one-armed hug, surprising him.

"Thank you," I replied warmly. "And don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine." He nodded solemnly, still slightly shocked, and followed me the rest of the way to the Hokage Tower.

"Sakura Haruno, Chunin, medical ninja of Konoha Hospital, apprentice to the Hokage-sama, Tsunade Senju, reporting for duty." I felt alone here, where my only friend was Naruto (who was too busy thinking about Sasuke). Sai had left shortly after delivering me here on the order of the Hokage.

"Thank you, Sakura, for coming here today. First-."

"Baa-chan, cut the crap and get on with it!" Nevertheless, Naruto was never one for formality, elders or no. Shishou pounded her fist against the desk.

"Shut up, Naruto!" She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine, basically, the Uchiha has returned and-"

"What say do we have in this?" I questioned immediately. "As in, how much does our opinion effect the final outcome or punishment of Sasuke?"

"Depends."

"On what."

"The validity of your claim. And your idea of a punishment, how harsh or how soft it is."

"Ah." I nodded, satisfied with her answer.

"It doesn't matter." We all turned towards the remaining person in the room who had remained silent until now. "We all know that Sakura and Naruto will both vote for him to be let off with as little punishment as possible." He had said my name with distaste, and I returned his gaze with a level glare.

"We acknowledge your input, Kakashi-_senpai_," His lip curled minutely at the hidden jab, "but this a decision for us to make, not you." Naruto glanced nervously between me and Kakashi, knowing the circumstances of our relationship and afraid of a fight breaking out between us. "Therefore, we would greatly appreciate it if you remained _silent_ for the rest of this time." Kakashi's eyes narrowed in barely disguised anger, but I just turned towards Shishou. She was also watching the two of us, but in a more calculating way.

"All right Sakura. Basically, what we need to do is…"

The meeting lasted all throughout the afternoon, bleeding into night. We were interrupted more than enough times by ANBU or other ninja reporting back from their missions, office aides bringing in more paperwork, or civilians needing to complain about something or another. Kakashi had left halfway through the meeting, and Sai had appeared shorty after, leaving me thankful for his moral support.

The end result? Sasuke and his team would be confined to the village for three years and he would be forced to do community service (including D-ranked missions) at least three times a week. He would wear chakra suppressors until halfway through his lock-up. His team and him would be placed under constant surveillance by squads of ANBU, each with a master sensor and a Hyuuga.

Shishou had informed me secretly that out of all the people she asked, I was the only one who requested that Sasuke be confined outside of the village and separate from his team, contrary to Kakashi and many other shinobi's beliefs.

And then it was time. I was to go and meet Sasuke at the holding jail to inform him of the outcome of our discussion. I wasn't looking forward to it, having lost my attraction to him.

The holding jail was disgusting. It seemed clean from the outside, but the inside smelled of rotten vegetables and human excrement. The guard led me down the damp hallway to the final cell at the end, built especially for high-powered ninja. The door creaked open, revealing Team 7's final member.

"Sasuke Uchiha. It has been a while." I kept my voice cold as I glared contemptuously at the dark haired boy chained to the wall. He raised his head, barely looking me in the eyes.

"Likewise...Sakura Haruno," he replied in a tone matching mine.

Tch. Bastard.

"How has the life of a missing-nin been treating you?"

"How has the life of a weak little wannabe ninja been treating you? I heard you only made chunin." he shot back. I fumed silently and strained to keep my voice devoid of emotion.

"Well, you'll be glad to know that you have been let off of any punishment besides community service and confinement, along with your team." He stayed silent, refusing to acknowledge me. I huffed (silently of course) and prepared to leave the cell, ordering the guard to stay alert. Right before I exited, I heard Sasuke's voice.

"Weak. You will always be a burden, to the team and to this village."

Then the door shut loudly, leaving behind a sense of finality

_Weak._

_Weak._

_Weak._

_Weak._

_Weak._

His words echoed in my head for the next week. In return, I thought, _I wasn't weak! I had apprenticed under the Hokage, the Legendary Sannin for three years!_

_Crash!_

"Sakura-sama!" I was pulled out of my thoughts suddenly and looked up to find that I had dropped a tray full of beakers of an anti-toxin sample on a nurse, and to make matters worse, Shishou was standing not three feet behind her.

"Sakura, what's is wrong with you this week! You've been absentminded and dropping or losing things all over the place! I thought I taught you better than this! You have been nothing but a burden!" Shishou's chastising didn't affect me until the last sentence.

"_Weak. You will always be a burden, to the team and to this village."_

_Flashback_

"_Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing today?" I asked cheerfully._

"_Sorry Sakura, I'm going to train Naruto in controlling his Kage Bunshin. Why don't you practice walking on water?" I was slightly disappointed, but of course, the teacher knows best, right?_

"_Sakura, you'll be working on taijutsu today. Go through these katas ten times. You may leave when you are finished." Inside I was livid. Did he really think me so weak that I could only do ten katas? Well, there was nothing I could do. He was in charge._

"_Are you going to train me today?"_

"_Ah, I know the last mission was slightly straining. Why don't you go home and rest a little?"_

"_I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't train you anymore."_

"_Why not?" He shook his head sadly._

"_My skills are not compatible with yours. You are, simply put, too weak for me to teach. Maybe you should find another teacher."_

The memories were too much. I had always been weak. Sasuke was right. Kakashi was right. Shishou was right.

I had carefully mended my heart since that fateful night that Sasuke left. I knew Kakashi never forgave me for not trying harder to stop him, and that led to our falling out. But I pieced my heart back together again anyway. And now, it was cracking again, with the strain of Sasuke's return and Shishou's reprimanding.

_I will always be a burden._

Four days later I made my decision.

I would join Akatsuki, and prove to my friends, no, former comrades that I was strong enough, and brave enough for them.

And so, I took a walk in the woods.

I traversed down the familiar path lined with wildflowers between the towering oak trees. Taking my time to appreciate the beauty of the evening, I didn't notice the two people behind me until it was almost too late.

_Whoosh!_

The minute sound of the kunai allowed me to jump to the right, twisting quickly in midair for a glimpse of my attackers. Imagine my surprise when I saw the infamous duo of the Akatsuki, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Sakura Haruno. You are to come with us." Indignation flooded my being.

"How dare you? I am a human being, capable of making my own choices, and you have no right to-." I was cut off when a blow was dealt to the back of my head, and I blacked out.

**Read and Review! **


	2. The Discovery

**Chishi no Sakura**

**~SereneButterfly23~**

**Here's the next chappie! It didn't take as long because I took some from the original. But mostly the personalities. **

**I know a lot of people don't like it when the Akatsuki are all warm and fun and loving, but this fanfiction isn't about tragedy and revenge, it's about finding your place and making your own path in the world. I just want Sakura to find a family and friends and someone to love, so the Akatsuki are staying family-like!**

**If anyone seems Out of Character, I have a reason for it. But please don't stop reading. If you really don't like it, please review and give me suggestions.**

**Sorry for all the line breaks. It's kinda necessary.**

**Enjoy!**

***SPOILER (kinda)***

**OMG DOES ANYONE WATCH FAIRY TAIL! OMG THEY KISSED! JERZA IS PRACTICALLY AN OFFICIAL CANON PAIRING! *SQUEAL* I TOTALLY KNEW THEY WERE GONNA END UP TOGETHER (AT LEAST PARTIALLY), BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY LESS AWESOME! OMG JELLAL PRACTICALLY DECLARED HIS LOVE FOR HER. STUPID LIES! JUST GET OFFICIAL ALREADY!**

***SPOILER OVER***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is not for profit and for pleasure only.**

**XxXxX**

**-Chapter 2: The Discovery-**

"Baaaa-chaaan!" screamed Naruto as he burst in through the door. "It's Sakura-chan! She's gone!" He screeched to a halt at the sight of the village leader sprawled on her desk, drooling and snoring with her pen still clutched in her hand. She shifted at the sound of Naruto, but refused to wake up. Resorting to force, Naruto slammed his hands on her desk and yelled. Loudly.

"Tsunade Baa-chan!"

"Wha-what?" She sat up, then realized that there was a face right in front of her's, with bright blue eyes and whisker marks. "Naruto?"

"Baa-chan! Sakura-chan is gone!"

"What?" Tsunade immediately stood. "Have you searched everywhere?"

"Hai! The training grounds are empty and she never entered the hospital! Her apartment is untouched except her clothes are gone. Her Team 7 picture was smashed against the wall!"

"And her mother's ceremonial yukata and her father's katana and tanto are gone." Kakashi walked in, late as usual. "I believe she has abandoned the village of her own accord."

"No way! Sakura-chan would never do that! I bet she was kidnapped!"

"Whatever!" snapped Tsunade. "Get Sai and search the surrounding forests. She couldn't have gotten far. There are other villages who would love to have her as their own kunoichi."

"Hai! We're on it!" saluted Naruto. The two ninja left, hearts set on a difficult mission.

* * *

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a hammer pounding against the inside of my skull. The next thing I noticed was that I was slung on the back of a tall moving object.

Guess who? Right, Kisame.

"Loser," I groaned. He turned his head slightly to reveal a sharky grin, reminding me painfully of someone I left behind.

"Well, Pinky, someone had to make sure you came with us." I glared at him menacingly, but where Naruto would've surrendered, Kisame's smile grew wider. "Aw, don't be like that Pinky. You're with us now. We be the cool kids," he joked. I ignored him.

"Where are we headed?" I asked Itachi.

"Amegakure, where our base is," answered Kisame instead.

"I wasn't asking you, Fish Stick," I retorted, sticking my tongue out childishly. I was proud of myself for my insult.

"Ha, real original, _Pinky_," he taunted. We continued to banter back and forth until Itachi spoke.

"Quiet," he commanded suddenly. "There are three chakra signatures headed this way. Powerful. I am positive that it is the Copy Nin, the Kyuubi, and the ANBU boy who looks like my foolish little brother. Leader-sama commanded that we avoid confrontation, meaning we need to either run or hide." Instead of getting into a defensive position or hiding, I stared at Itachi in disbelief.

"I believe that is the most words I've heard you say since I've met you."

"She has a point. You need to lighten up," interjected Kisame. I shot him an irritated glance before continuing.

"Second, you call Sasuke 'foolish little brother?'" I was amused beyond words, but I kept calm for the sake of Itachi's pride.

The rustling of the leaves brought us back to the present.

"I will cast a genjutsu. Hide." I nodded in affirmation and Kisame copied me. We jumped behind a bush (cliché, I know) and Itachi cast a mid-level genjutsu upon us.

"Kakashi-sensei, hurry up! We need to find Sakura-chan before she joins another village!" Obviously Naruto was not paying attention during his remedial stealth lessons.

"Dick-less. You are scaring away the birds. And any other shinobi in this area. So be quiet." I rolled my eyes at his nickname, and I could see Kisame snickering out of the corner of my eye.

"Kaka-sensei! You said she would be around here!" whined Naruto. Kakashi sniffed the air comically.

"I can't sense her anymore. I'll have Pakkun check it out," he replied. I almost cursed. Pakkun was the best ninken on the continent, and he was especially suited for tracking.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Kakashi drawled. The poof of dust dispersed and revealed the miniature ninja dog.

"Pakkun. Can you get a grasp of Sakura's scent?" For a second Pakkun looked confused, if not a little disgruntled, but Kakashi either missed it or ignored it.

"Why are we looking for Sakura? Why can't you find her on your own? Weren't you the one claiming she was too weak for you?" I could sense the hidden jab, and suddenly was glad for all those joint missions that involved tracking. I had been kind to the ninken, despite my dislike of their summoner, and now I sensed that he was paying me back in his own way.

"Pakkun, Sakura-chan isn't weak! Her punches hurt! Anyway, I still think she was kidnapped!" Kakashi gave an irritated sigh. On the other hand I had to fight to restrain my giggles.

"Naruto, for the last time Sakura left of her own accord. All the evidence points that way. Her important belongings are all gone, including her mother's ceremonial yukata and her father's katana and tanto. Also, her Team 7 picture was thrown on the floor and cracked." Wow, I didn't expect him to notice that my mom's yukata was with me. He must have done the search personally.

"The Akatsuki must have kidnaped her as bait for me and Sasuke-teme! They probably did all that stuff to frame Sakura-chan! I-."

"Hold on! I sense her. This way!" Pakkun suddenly interrupted. I started freaking out while Itachi put his hands in a seal and Kisame reached for his sword. Imagine our immense surprise when Pakkun led the Konoha shinobi in the opposite direction. I was also shocked when Sai, who had stayed silent during the argument, make a clone to follow them wile staying behind and sitting down in a meditative pose.

"I know you're there, hag," he called out, causing Kisame to burst into silent chortles at my nickname. I glared at Kisame, which had no effect whatsoever, and stepped from behind the bush. Itachi glanced at me, but let me go, dispelling my side of the genjutsu to allow me to be seen.

"Sai. What are you doing?" He looked at me impassively.

"I was worried." Could've fooled me with that expression. "Kakashi-senpai was too concentrated on finding your scent that he didn't look for any chakra signs, and Naruto can't sense chakra to save his life. But I felt it. And I stayed behind." He threw a fake smile out there, probably for good measure.

"Aw, thanks for the concern. But I'm fine, and you should go back before they realize that you're gone. You'll be suspected." Sai shook his head uncharacteristically.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?"

"Come back."

"No."

"Then take this." He handed me a scroll. "Just write on it, and it will send out a pulse of chakra that only I can feel. It's part of my Choju Giga. We can communicate this way."

I was speechless. Sai was never good at showing affection, but now he had achieved it perfectly. I felt like crying, but that would've given Kisame more ammo to tease me.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to write in it often. Now go," I ordered, pushing him in the direction that the others went. He left, throwing a real smile over his shoulder, which I returned.

"How touching. I thought you didn't like Konoha." Kisame and Itachi had emerged from the underbrush and were watching me stare into the trees.

"There's a difference. I don't like Konoha, but there are some people there who I will miss dearly."

"Anyway, that was a crappy ninken. We were like, what, five feet away? It didn't sense us at all!" Kisame ranted. "I thought the Copy Nin was one of the best Sharingan users, but his dogs suck!"

"He is a friend of Sakura-san." He didn't say anymore, obviously believing Kisame smart enough to figure it out on his own. He couldn't.

"What he means is, Pakkun is on my side and is leading them away from here so Kakashi and Naruto won't find us. To prevent Kakashi from taking me back, he will lead them around aimlessly in this forest. I guess Pakkun believes that I left of my own accord as well."

"By the way, why have you conceded defeat so easily?" asked Kisame, satisfied with the previous explanation. "I mean, like, why aren't you fighting us? Why did you voluntarily leave Konoha?"

"Truthfully? It is so I won't be a burden anymore, to Konoha or Shishou. But also to become stronger, and to show Kakashi and Sasuke and everyone else that I'm not content with walking behind them, always letting them protect me. I will become a strong kunoichi and defend my own pride and honor. I will not let anyone hold me down. I will not be weak anymore. I refuse to stay weak. That is why I am coming with you."

"Uh-huh," nodded Kisame with a jokingly bored look on his face. He reached down to ruffle my hair. "Nice speech. Everyone in Akatsuki has a reason for joining, but your's is the most noble so far, I believe. Pein chose well."

"Yeah right. Whatever," I mumbled, fixing my reddish-pink hair. "I wonder how an idiot like you survived in a ruthless organization like the Akatsuki for so long." I was truly confused. Kisame wasn't the creepy bloodthirsty criminal I had been informed of by Shishou. He was funny, and fun to tease, and nothing like how I imagined him to be.

"You wonder how I survived? That's 'cause there are ninja in the Akatsuki three to four times more idiotic than me. I am considered a genius, as a matter of fact."

I widened my eyes in disbelief.

"No way. You, a genius? I gotta meet these people!"

* * *

"Pakkun, where are you taking us?" whined Naruto. "Where's Sakura-chan?" Pakkun looked up to check the sun's position. _Hm, they should've had enough time to get farther away from here. I'll make these idiots go back to Konoha, _Pakkun thought to himself.

"I lost her scent. Sorry," Pakkun replied, a tad bit more cheerful than he should've been.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Naruto. "Baa-chan is gonna kill us! Sakura's not even that good at hiding, where could she have gone?"

"Oh, I don't know." Pakkun gave a little shrug. "I'll be leaving now." He disappeared.

"That lazy dog. Let's return to report to Hokage-sama and she'll give us further instructions."

"'Kay, Kaka-sensei." No one noticed Sai's strange silence or lack of insults.

* * *

"So, who are the other members?" I asked, wishing to pass the traveling time.

"Who do you know?" Kisame asked a question as a reply.

"So far I know you and Itachi, plus Sasori and a little of Deidara. How many members do you have in all?"

"Right, you killed Sasori, huh? Well, the number of people change frequently, but the most stable average I can give you is nine to ten people. Right now there's ten, plus you, which makes eleven. We travel in pairs, as you know, but since there's an uneven number, you'll do missions with either me or Itachi, or the three of us together. Our leader's name is Pein, and his partner is Konan. They rarely leave the headquarters now, but they used to be a lot more active. We all call Pein Leader-sama or Pein-sama, or just Leader, except for Konan because they knew each other before the Akatsuki was even formed. Though I swear they're like sleeping together or something." Kisame was suddenly backhanded across the face.

"Do not speak of things you do not understand," commanded Itachi monotonously.

"Geez! No need to hit me!" Kisame exclaimed as he rubbed his nose. "Okay, okay. Continuing, Kakuzu and Hidan are called the Zombie Brothers because they're practically immortal. Kakuzu is an old miser and Hidan is masochistic. Just stay away from them. You know Deidara as the blond bomber, and that's pretty much all you need to know. He's slightly insane and he's more stupid than me, but it's fine to talk to him. The last pair is Tobi and Zetsu. You'll notice Zetsu, he's part black, part white, and part plant."

"Part plant?" I raised my eyebrows.

"You'll see. Tobi is crazy. Like he acts like a five-year-old, but he's really smart. He can hide from us for hours on end. And he likes calling himself a good boy. For some strange reason. I think he hit his head when he was young. Then there's me and Itachi."

"Wow, that's crazy. You're right. I can't wait to meet these people!" I giggled.

"Kisame, Sakura-san. We will rest here tonight." We had totally forgotten that Itachi was hopping along with us, so we were surprised when he spoke. Despite that, we set up the tents and settled in for the night.

"Rise and shine! Let's get moving!" I cried cheerfully. "Up and at 'em!" I ducked into Kisame's tent. He was sprawled across his sleeping bag, his hand covering his eyes to block the sunlight that I let in through the open tent flap burning his retinas.

"Leave me alone," he groaned, rolling over. I ignored his pleas and kicked his side hard, earning me another groan. Then I grabbed his arm and tried to yank him out of the tent. "Oof. I'll be up soon. Five more minutes." I finally relinquished my hold on his arm.

"Fine, But if you're not done packing by the time I wake up Itachi, you're dead."

"You're on," he mumbled, and rolled over again. I rolled my eyes and left.

"Itachi! Awaken!" I shouted as I burst into his tent.

I froze in shock.

Itachi. With his shirt off. In front of me. And I was staring.

"Eep!" I squeaked. "Um yeah you're awake so I'm just gonna leave gotta go bye!" I ran out of there as fast as I could.

Stupid me. Why didn't I notice that he was already up? I just had to barge in when his sexy, muscular chest was exposed. Wait. What am I saying?

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of those thoughts.

"What's wrong, Pinky?" called Kisame as he sealed away his things.

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Whatever, let's just move out." Itachi emerged from his tent and quickly sealed it away as well. "How long until the base?"

"Two or three more hours if we run. Do you think you can keep up?" teased Kisame.

"I'll bet you five bucks I can!" I exclaimed, my excitement returning.

"I'll take you up on it," agreed Kisame. "The weather's turning bad, so we should hurry anyway."

We rushed through the trees, three black blurs, all heading to our home.

* * *

"Home sweet home, isn't it?"

The "home" he was referring to was a wide black cave entrance blocked by a huge stone similar to the one where Gaara was kept when he was kidnapped. Kisame performed a string of hand signs and the rock rumbled, then rolled away.

"Ladies first," he said, bowing his head mockingly. I grinned.

"Then maybe you should go first," I taunted. He growled, but Itachi shoved past him into the base, so we had no choice but to follow.

"This is the kitchen. The restroom. Meeting rooms. More meeting rooms. Living room. Recreation room. TV room. Bedrooms. Another bathroom. And, finally, Leader-sama's office."

By the time Kisame finished narrating my short tour through the base, I was mindblown. I had no idea such a large place could fit behind such a small entrance.

Kisame knocked four times consecutively on the door, two short and two long.

"Come in," a voice invited.

The inside of the office was dimly lit by candles, so I couldn't make out any features of my future leader.

"Sakura-san, I presume?" I could see another figure standing by Leader-sama's desk, and that figure stepped into the light, revealing a beautiful blue-haired woman. She was dressed in a high-collared dress that stopped above her navel and flowed out like a cloak. She wore skin-tight leggings with it, and her clothes perfectly accentuated her figure.

"Hello. I am Konan. We, as the Akatsuki, welcome you to our home. We hope you are a valuable asset to our organization."

"Yes." The original voice that invited us in spoke. The man in the chair stood up and stepped into the light beside Konan. A flash of piercings and bright orange hair was revealed.

"A-aniki?!"

* * *

**I'll leave it there! Hope you enjoy!**

**Review please!**


	3. The Introductions

**Chishi no Sakura**

**~SereneButterfly23~**

**Hello! I was pleased with the amount of reviews for the past two chapters!**

**Thank you to the reviewers: Rikato Tojidofukuto, OokamiAkuma2297, Ruka-Yuuya, Shadow Wolf, Kalafina94, Jasmine-.-Momo-chan, AnimeMiner (Guest), Guest, acetwolf94, DeidaraGaaraGirls, SakuranoPolen, Rin, silveroaks, Starberryblossom, ChildOfYinAndYang, sakura no polen, and MiyatheEarthninja. Sorry if I forgot your name. I'm writing these names before I even write the chapter, so there might be more reviewers. Sorry.**

**Just a warning. The romance will start slowly and probably won't pick up till the end, or it might stay slow for the whole story. I'm not sure yet.**

**I've always wondered how Sakura knew Pein was her brother in all the other stories, 'cause doesn't Pain (Nagato) technically look like Yahiko? So wouldn't that make Yahiko her brother, not Pein?**

**I'm doing this thing called NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. Basically, I'll have to write 30,000 words in one month, so I might not update as frequently as I wanted to. Don't worry, I'll try my best!**

**Anyway. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is not for profit and for pleasure only.**

**XxXxX**

**-Chapter 3: The Introductions-**

_Recap:_

"_Hello. I am Konan. We, as the Akatsuki, welcome you to our home. We hope you are a valuable asset to our organization."_

"_Yes." The original voice that invited us in spoke. The man in the chair stood up and stepped into the light beside Konan. A flash of piercings and bright orange hair was revealed._

"_A-aniki?!"_

"Sakura-chan?" Yahiko stepped back in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You're alive!" I ran up to him and hugged him, surprising all the people in the room.

"Whoa, Pinky! What the heck is going on?" Kisame exclaimed. Yahiko pushed me away and let his eyes roam over my face.

"It really is you," he breathed. "Oh no." His expression wasn't happy like I expected. Instead he was apprehensive, and I could see a glimmer of true fear in his eyes.

"Aniki?"

"Hey, Sharky is still here, ya know?" Kisame tried to get our attention, but we ignored him.

"Where were you all this time, Aniki?" I asked, slightly tearful. Yahiko shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I am not your brother." It was my turn to be startled.

"What? But...you look just like...you know me though!" I yelled frantically. "You know my name! You called...me...Sakura-chan." My voice died down as I realized what he meant. "It happened, didn't it?" I asked dully. Only one other person called me Sakura-chan. "He died and told you to take his body. Right...Nagato-nii?" Yahiko-no, Nagato-nodded, confirming my suspicions.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I tried to stop him-"

"No," I interrupted. "No matter what you would've tried, Aniki would have made you take his body, one way or another. I'm just sorry that I never said goodbye."

"Leader-sama. Can you explain to us what is going on?" asked Itachi. I could hear confusion bleeding into his voice without his consent.

"It is nothing important. But let it be known that Sakura Haruno is under my protection, and any member that harms her will report to me." He turned to his second-in-command. "Konan, please take her to her room and issue her a ring with a cloak." The woman nodded and beckoned to me. As I exited the room, I smiled apologetically to counter Kisame's worried look, reassuring him and promising a full explanation later. Maybe far, far in the future. Hopefully.

"Here is you're room. It is adjacent to mine because we are the only women in the Akatsuki. We shall be sharing a restroom-hope you don't mind-and we can go shopping for your clothes tomorrow. For now, you may use my clothes. Here is you're cloak." She handed me a thick, heavy bundle of cloth, and I could see red clouds stitched on it. "We made a new ring for you, so you won't have to go after Orochimaru's ring or anything like that. It will be worn on your left pinkie." The ring was exactly the same as the other members', except it was slate blue and had the kanji for mysterious (_gen_, 玄). "And you need to slash your headband." I gingerly untied my headband, slipping it off my forehead. I pulled out a kunai and, after a moment's hesitation, made a cut straight through the leaf symbol. Strangely, there was no morose as I expected. Instead, I felt free for the first time in my life.

"Now, Sakura-chan. Can I call you that?" I nodded. "Alright, let's get you changed out of those grimy clothes, then you can meet the other members." She handed me a bundle of cloth and pushed me into the restroom. I was at a loss and was surprised by her sudden stubbornness.

Once I entered the restroom, I unfolded the bundle and groaned at the revealing clothing. There was a fishnet shirt along with a midriff top that had a high collar and was a deep royal blue. It was paired with a same-color skirt that barely reached my knees and knee warmers like Ino's. I regretfully slipped them on, trying to pull my shirt and skirt down so it wasn't so...promiscuous.

I slipped out the door, turning off the lights as I left. Konan seemed to be sorting through her clothes and putting them in three piles. She heard me leave the bathroom, so she turned around.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. I was nervous.

"What? Is it really that bad?" Konan looked at me for a second, then laughed as she realized what I meant. I decided that I liked her laugh. It was tinkly and sweet, like a fairy's. Anyway.

"Oh, no, you're very beautiful. I just didn't think my clothes would fit you that well." I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, so I decided not to dwell on it too long.

I walked to the bed and grabbed my cloak, sinking into the comforting warmth it provided. "I love this cloak! What do you make it with?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just some velvet on the inside to trap warmth, but only a thin layer. A nylon and vinyl layer on the outside to repel water, and easy fastenings so people like Hidan can take it off before they ruin it." I was impressed, though I tried not to show it.

"Hidan? He's the insane masochist, right?" Konan raised an elegant eyebrow. I'm so jealous. I can't even move both my eyebrows up, let a lone a single one.

"What has Kisame been telling you? Hidan's not that bad, as long as you don't piss him off. You'll like him better the longer you hang out with him. And while we're on the topic of other members, I'm sure you'd like to meet them. So let's go." She led me out of the room and in the general direction of the living room. I tried to memorize the route, but got disorientated and stopped.

"Ano...Konan-san?"

"Just Konan is fine," she replied with a small smile.

"How many stairs and doors are there in here?" Konan tugged absently at her hair.

"I think there are 167 stairways and 294 doors. But we're always adding and moving things around, so don't think on it for too long. It gives headaches." She continued down the hall, and I had to take more steps to catch up.

"Who's this freak?" I whirled around at the sudden, uncalled-for insult, retort on the tip of my tongue. Instead, my mouth dropped in shock.

There was a tall man in front of me. That wasn't the most surprising. He had silver hair, slicked back with some gel. Not the most surprising either. There was a giant three bladed scythe slung across his back. Still not the most surprising. What startled me the most was the blood.

There were fresh wounds and lacerations decorating his body. There were patches of dried blood in some places, and he reeked.

"Oh, goodness!" I reached out a glowing hand, ready to heal his injuries. He stepped back apprehensively.

"Whoa, lady! What the heck are you doing?" he yelled. "You better not be thinking of touching me with those creepy glowing hands! What are you, John Smith?" I slowly tuned him out and healed him from afar, a Mystical Palm technique that was recently created. "Whoa! What are you doing? Stop it!"

"You're welcome," I said sarcastically as I stopped the chakra flow to my arms. He ignored his closed wounds and glared at me.

"For all I know you could've poisoned me." Luckily (for him), Konan interrupted us.

"Sakura, I'd like you to meet Hidan, resident religion fanatic and crazy emo kid. Hidan, meet Sakura, our newest member. Don't hurt her." Hidan snorted.

"Oh, yeah? What's she gonna do about it?" Ha! This guy had no idea who he was dealing with.

"You mean besides the fact that our leader is my brother?" Technically, his body is my brother, but Hidan didn't need to know that.

"What the fudge? Pein-sama's sister? Yeah right, you don't even look like him!"

"Nagato won't take kindly to you hurting her. You better watch out," warned Konan.

"It's fine, Konan." I placed a placating hand on her arm. "Hidan. I'll bet you ten bucks that I can send you flying to Kumogakure with one punch." Hidan threw his head back laughing like a child.

"Ha! Your arms are so skinny, I doubt you can even punch me out of this building!" I rolled my eyes. He was so going to get it.

"Sexist pig." He faked a look of hurt and put his hand over his heart.

"Oh, that's mean, Sakura-chan," he taunted. "How 'bout I give you a free hit. Just one. Let's see what you got." I knew he was mocking me, but I took the bait anyway. I checked the direction and walked to Hidan's right side.

"Ready?" Without waiting for a reply, I swung my arm back and charged chakra around my fist again, causing it to glow with a potent blue, not unlike the Mystical Palm I used to heal Hidan.

"CHA!" I yelled as my fist connected. Hidan had barely a second to yell in surprise before he flew through the wall, the room behind it, and into the air, soaring over the treetops.

"What? Was that Hidan?" Kisame's voice filtered from the room whose wall I just destroyed, and his head popped out of the hole. I heard an appreciative whistle and a laugh full of hilarity.

"That was awesome, yeah!" Kisame's head suddenly appeared in the hole in the wall.

"Pinky? Did you do that?" I nodded happily, and he rolled his eyes. "Trust you to lose your temper like that. You're a violent little girl, aren't you?" I was about to retaliate, but was interrupted.

"Hey, who's this, hm?" A head of blond hair emerged beside Kisame, and for a second I thought Naruto had joined the party. When I finally got a good look at the newcomer, I mentally face-palmed at my mistake.

This person looked nothing like Naruto, despite the blond hair. He had blue eyes too, but instead of the clear sapphire Naruto had, his were ringed in black and a darker color. His hair was a foot longer than Naruto's, and it was tied in a flying ponytail that defied gravity almost as much as Kakashi's hair. He was wearing a standard Akatsuki cloak, and when he moved to step out of the hole, I glimpsed twin pouches hanging on either sides of his hips. His ring was teal, but I couldn't see the kanji.

"Oh, are you the new member?" He held out a hand for me to shake. I was hesitant, but I grasped his hand. "I'm Deidara."

"Hi, I'm Sakura," I replied. I stifled a shriek as something wet brushed against my palm. I immediately let go of his hand. "Ew, what was that?"

The crazy blondie was on the floor laughing, and I saw a _tongue_ sticking out from his hand.

"Sakura, watch out for his tongues," teased Kisame. He was laughing with just as much mirth as Deidara, and even Konan was stifling giggles behind a dainty hand.

"A little late, huh?" I snorted sarcastically. Gosh. These people were _cruel_!

They finally stopped laughing and calmed down enough to speak comprehensibly.

"Man, Deidara that was one of your better pranks." Kisame patted Deidara on the back companionably while I glared.

"What is going on here? The wall! Do you people know how much that is going to cost?" The other newcomer had a rough gravelly voice, giving a vision of an older man. I couldn't confirm my suspicions because the only features I could see on his face were his eyes. They were an intimidating green with strange magenta sclera.

"Calm down, Kakuzu. I'm sure Sakura here will willingly fix it." My mouth opened in shock. I was being volunteered to fix something that I didn't even destroy!

"Hey, it's not my fault! Hidan was the one who actually flew through that wall!" The man sighed.

"That idiotic religious lunatic. I'll make him pay for it. This will seriously cut out of our budget. As if it wasn't low enough before." The masked man walked away, still muttering.

"Well, Sakura-chan. It seems you're almost done meeting all the members. I'll have Nagato get someone to fix that later, so let's go to the living room. I'm sure Itachi will be there along with Tobi and Zetsu." I was still confused.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, that's our 'treasurer.' He is an old miser, but he takes good care of our budget." She grasped my arm and pulled me down the hall. "As long as you don't do anything to disrupt his money matters, he's an okay guy."

The living room was spacious and furnished with comfy couches and a sixty inch plasma flat screen television. Itachi was seated in the far corner under a lamp, reading a thin novel. Sprawled on the long couch in front of the TV was a person with an orange mask. Sleeping.

"That's Tobi. He's a little strange, but he fits in pretty well with us. Don't give him sugar. At all." I was a little amused by Konan's super serious tone, but I saw the look in her eyes and decided that Tobi was not going to be getting any sugar soon. At least not from me. "Here, I'll wake him up."

"No need," interjected Deidara. "A nice C1 bomb will get him right up." Konan sighed in irritation but allowed Deidara to do what he wanted. Being that this was the first time I saw something like this, I watched with fascination as Deidara chewed up the clay and formed a spider. He then flung it on Tobi's mask, right by where the mouth would be, then placed his hands in a particular sign. "Katsu!" he exclaimed with glee.

"Ah! Deidara-senpai!"

Tobi sounded like a child. A very hyperactive, crazy child who had had too much sugar. I could see why Konan would give me that strange warning now.

"That was mean! Tobi didn't do anything wrong!" The masked man was now whining and stubbornly holding onto Deidara's arm despite all his attempts to shake him off.

"Stop that!" yelled Deidara. An extremely loud argument ensued, and I noticed a head peeking out of the ground as I tried to tune them out.

"Hi," I said, nudging the head with my foot.

"What are you doing? **That's our head, fool.**" Only my training as a ninja prevented me from jumping clear through the ceiling.

"Whoa! You have two voices!" The head rose up, revealing a body beneath it. I saw the Venus Flytrap and knew immediately that this was Zetsu.

"And you **look delicious**," he replied, licking his lips. Disgusted, I hid behind Konan.

"The disgusting plant thing is trying to eat me," I complained. Konan glared at Zetsu.

"Watch out. She's precious to Nagato. He won't take kindly to you eating her." Was the only thing preventing me from being injured my brother's (body's) words?

"Fine." He melted back into the ground.

"Who is this?" Another new member? I thought I had met everyone!

"Ah, you're here! I thought you went to Sunagakure for the puppet materials." I turned around and saw Sasori.

In a flash, I was in front of him, my finger poking his chest and my face inches from his.

"How could you? I risked my life to kill you! Chiyo-baa risked her life to stop you! And you have the nerve to come back to life! Why?" I knew I was blowing the situation way out of proportion, but seriously, I was mad.

"Pein-sama resurrected me because I am an important member," he boasted arrogantly. "He won't be happy if you kill me again."

"Ha!" I scoffed. "He's my brother! He won't do anything to me!"

Cue another loud argument.

The noise level increased as Hidan appeared in the doorway, screaming curses at me. I yelled back, and Deidara and Tobi were still quarreling, except with a couple of jabs from Zetsu. Kisame had appeared as well, and was seated by Itachi, watching amusedly.

"Quiet!" ordered Konan. Her authoritative voice rose above ours, and we silenced ourselves complacently. "You are like children, squabbling and fighting over useless things. If you need to argue, please go into the forest where the only things that will hear are the trees and animals!" She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Sakura, come with me. We need to see Nagato about your team assignment.

I complied and followed the elegant woman through the halls again and back into the office.

"Sakura-chan. You must be careful of who knows that Yahiko, or rather, Nagato is your brother. Keep it within the organization, all right?" I nodded my consent, and she pushed open the double doors.

"Nagato. Sakura-chan is here."

"Fine. You may leave." Konan nodded and left the room obediently. "Sakura. For now, you will be placed with Kisame and Itachi. Your first mission…" He looked up with a steely glint in his eyes.

"Infiltrate Konohagakure and gather information on the jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki."

**Done! Read and Review please! Sorry it's a little late.**


End file.
